Walmart U.S. to hire more temporary holiday workers

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday it plans to hire 55,000 temporary staff to work at its Walmart U.S. stores during the holiday season, up roughly 10 percent from 2012, as it gears up for a competitive winter.

Consumers remained cautious amid a slow economic recovery. Also, more shopping online has been drawing sales from traditional stores.

On Monday, consulting firm Deloitte said it expected sales to rise 4 percent to 4.5 percent for the November-to-January period, versus 4.5 percent growth a year earlier. It expects a 12.5 percent to 13 percent increase in non-store sales, the bulk of which are done online.

Last week, research firm ShopperTrak said it saw U.S. holiday sales growing at a slower pace than in recent years and that shoppers would likely go to stores less often.

In addition to the 55,000 seasonal workers, Walmart U.S. also said it would move more than 35,000 employees from temporary to part time status, and another 35,000 from part time to full time. [ID:nPnDA81371] This year, the retailer has been pushing to give part-time staff the chance to sign up for extra shifts and hiring temporary workers to fill the shifts that part-time and full-time workers do not take.

In September 2012, Walmart U.S. announced plans to hire more than 50,000 temporary workers for that holiday season. It did not disclose how many it ultimately ended up hiring.

Last week, Target Corp said it planned to hire about 70,000 seasonal workers, down from the year before, while offering its year-round staff the chance to work more hours. Kohl's Corp said it planned to hire more than 50,000 workers, up slightly from a year earlier.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bangalore and Jessica Wohl in Chicago; Editing by Kirti Pandey and Jeffrey Benkoe)